Exploring Areciffe, Lanzarote

We return from our volcanic-park exploration, enjoy lunch on the ship (local fish), and head back out to walk into town of Arrecife in Lanzarote.  We walk from the port toward the town on a path carved out of the volcanic landscape.

Path to town

We pass ships and a monument to sailors who never returned.

Monuments

In town, in the center of a roundabout, we find a sculpture titled Fisherman with Marlin, an ode to Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, which was inspired by a sailor born just a few meters from the statue.

Fisherman with Marlin

We wander along the sea, observing the boats in the harbor and the artwork decorating the seaside promenade, part of a spectacular 26 km (16 mile) coastal path connecting Costa Teguise, Playa Honda, Arrecife, and Puerto del Carmen.

Local craft

Art on the promenade

The Museo de Historia de Arrecife (Arrecife History Museum) is located in a castle on the waterfront that was built in 1593 to create a defense against pirates, with outer walls, dungeons, and sentry boxes added in 1666 and 1667.  We walk out to the museum and then back toward the city.

Museo de Historia de Arrecife

Looking back at the city

Entering the city, we find the Iglesia de San Ginés (Church of San Ginés), honoring the city's patron saint.

Commercial district

The church was build in 1574 and completely rebuilt in 1667, containing images of Saint Peter and Saint Ginés, with the tower inspired by the bell tower of  Iglesia-Parroquia Matriz de Nuestra Señora de La Concepción (Church of the Immaculate Conception) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Iglesia de San Ginés

From the church, we walk back along the sea, finding more great artwork decorating the town.

Art along the sea

Art on a building wall

We return to the ship through the volcanic landscape and soon sail away to our next port.

Returning to the port

Sailing away

Lanzarote Volcano Hike

We leave Madeira, Portugal, and return to the Spanish Canary Islands, stopping next at Lanzarote, the easternmost of the Canary Islands, 125 km (78 miles) from the north coast of Africa and the Sahara Desert.  We arrive in the capital, Arrecife, on the eastern coastline and explore the Los Volcanes Nature Park, covered by lava from eruptions that took place in 1730-36 and 1824

Hiking on the lava flow

Part of our walk is through vineyards planted in the volcanic soil.  The vines are planted in pits to reach moist soil, with a layer of ash capturing dew for irrigation and horseshoe-shaped stone walls to protect the vines from harsh Atlantic winds.

Volcanic vineyards

We walk across the volcanic ash over to Timanfaya National Park to visit a volcano cone formed from the final phase of the Timanfaya eruption in 1736.  We reach the cone and are able to walk inside and explore the interior of the volcano (La Candera Colorado).

Walking to the volcanic cone

Looking into the cone

We walk into the cone and wander.

Inside the cone

Landscape outside the cone

We then leave La Caldera Colorado and cross the highway to wander through more volcanic landscape in the park.

Looking back at La Caldera Colorado

Continuing into the park

This hike has been very different experience from our hike over the four-year-old volcanic ash in La Palma and a great view of an older, more-mature volcanic landscape.

Trip Around Madeira to Ribeira Brava

We finish our stay in Funchal, Madeira with a bus ride to the Pico da Torre viewpoint for a fabulous view over the fishing village of Camara de Lobos to the sea.  From the viewpoint, we head over to Cabo Girao, the highest sea cliff in Europe, featuring a skywalk with a glass floor balcony 589 meters (1,932 feet) above the sea, followed by a stop in Ribeira Brava.

First, our stop at the viewpoint.

Views from Pico da Torre 

We make a stop at another viewpoint more inland where we sample poncha, a local drink made of rum and honey.

More great views

Poncha

From both viewpoints, we see fields and yards planted with bananas, a small, sweet variety grown on terraced farms on the steep hills, often with the help of levadas (irrigation canals).  The bananas are sold primarily within Madeira and mainland Portugal, with very little to other EU countries as their small size and shape don't meet EU standards, making them a local delicacy that we are lucky enough to enjoy.

Bananas planted everywhere

Our next stop is the Cabo Girao sea cliff, where we take in the view up and down the coast and down through the glass floor.

View out over the sea

View through the glass floor

Our next and final stop in this island exploration is in the small town of Ribeira Brava, filled with beaches, quaint shops, cafes, and more great views (and, of course, more bananas).

Rebeira Brava

This has been a fun look around the island, but it's time for us to move on to the next island.